The Schleswig-Holstein ports have maintained their strength. The General Association of Schleswig-Holstein Ports (GVSH) achieved a turnover of 53.6 million tonnes last year. This is a record.
51 million tons was for the account of the “Big Four” of the GVSH (Lübeck, Brunsbüttel, Kiel and Puttgarden). These four ports account for 95% of the total volume. But even the smaller ports on the west coast and on the Kiel Canal have held up well, especially in terms of passenger numbers.
Lübeck, which is the strongest port in the region, recorded a most significant 5.5% growth in tons, mainly because of a rise in cargo carried by ro-ro ferries from Finnlines, SOL Continent Line, Stena Line, Transfennica and TT Line.
Kiel saw a 14% increase in tonnage. This was due in particular to Stena Line’s Kiel – Gothenburg route, as well as the handling of paper products from Eastern Sweden at the new forest product terminal.
Ferry traffic to Norway and the Baltic remained stable at a high level.
Increasing volumes of lorries on the Puttgarden – Rödby link gave the port of Puttgarden a positive development in cargo handling to 5.5 million tonnes (+ 5%).
The outlook for the current year is thoroughly optimistic. Nevertheless, Sebastian Jürgens, CEO of the GVSH warned the local Government: “Sustainable growth is not a self-reliance. It requires a high-performing infrastructure to support the development of Schleswig-Holstein’s ports. “
